Investigation of superstorm Sandy 2012 in a multi-disciplinary approach

At the end of October 2012, Hurricane Sandy moved from the Caribbean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean and entered the United States not far from New York. Along its track, Sandy caused more than 200 fatalities and severe losses in Jamaica, The Bahamas, Haiti, Cuba, and the US. This paper demonstrates the capability and potential for near-real-time analysis of catastrophes. It is shown that the impact of Sandy was driven by the superposition of different extremes (high wind speeds, storm surge, heavy precipitation) and by cascading effects. In particular the interaction between Sandy and an extra-tropical weather system created a huge storm that affected large areas in the US. It is examined how Sandy compares to historic hurricane events, both from a hydro-meteorological and impact perspective. The distribution of losses to different sectors of the economy is calculated with simple input-output models as well as government estimates. Direct economic losses are estimated about USD 4.2 billion in the Caribbean and between USD 78 and 97 billion in the US. Indirect economic losses from power outages is estimated in the order of USD 16.3 billion. Modelling sector-specific dependencies quantifies total business interruption losses between USD 10.8 and 15.5 billion. Thus, seven years after the record impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricane Sandy is the second costliest hurricane in the history of the United States

Investigation of superstorm Sandy 2012 in a multi-disciplinary approach

At the end of October 2012, Hurricane Sandy moved from the Caribbean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean and entered the United States not far from New York. Along its track, Sandy caused more than 200 fatalities and severe losses in Jamaica, The Bahamas, Haiti, Cuba, and the US. This paper demonstrates the capability and potential for near-real-time analysis of catastrophes. It is shown that the impact of Sandy was driven by the superposition of different extremes (high wind speeds, storm surge, heavy precipitation) and by cascading effects. In particular the interaction between Sandy and an extra-tropical weather system created a huge storm that affected large areas in the US. It is examined how Sandy compares to historic hurricane events, both from a hydro-meteorological and impact perspective. The distribution of losses to different sectors of the economy is calculated with simple input-output models as well as government estimates. Direct economic losses are estimated about USD 4.2 billion in the Caribbean and between USD 78 and 97 billion in the US. Indirect economic losses from power outages is estimated in the order of USD 16.3 billion. Modelling sector-specific dependencies quantifies total business interruption losses between USD 10.8 and 15.5 billion. Thus, seven years after the record impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricane Sandy is the second costliest hurricane in the history of the United States

Paradigmatic examples for testing models of optical light polarization by spheroidal dust

We present a general framework on how the polarization of radiation due to scattering, dichroic extinction, and birefringence of aligned spheroidal dust grains can be implemented and tested in 3D Monte Carlo radiative transfer (MCRT) codes. We derive a methodology for solving the radiative transfer equation governing the changes of the Stokes parameters in dust-enshrouded objects. We utilize the Müller matrix and the extinction, scattering, linear, and circular polarization cross sections of spheroidal grains as well as electrons. An established MCRT code is used, and its capabilities are extended to include the Stokes formalism. We compute changes in the polarization state of the light by scattering, dichroic extinction, and birefringence on spheroidal grains. The dependency of the optical depth and the albedo on the polarization is treated. The implementation of scattering by spheroidal grains both for random walk steps as well as for directed scattering (peel-off) are described. The observable polarization of radiation of the objects is determined through an angle binning method for photon packages that leaves the model space as well as through an inverse ray-tracing routine for the generation of images. We present paradigmatic examples for which we derive analytical solutions of the optical light polarization by spheroidal dust particles. These tests are suited for benchmark verification of MCPO

LiFi Reception from Organic Photovoltaic Modules Subject to Additional DC Illuminations and Shading Effects

International audienceIn this paper, we study the performance of organic photovoltaic (OPV) modules as LiFi receivers in two specific configurations. The PV-based LiFi receiver is first exposed to an additional homogeneous light source with different intensity levels and then the influence of partial lighting is studied (shading effect). In both cases, we compare the sensibility and the cutoff frequency of LiFi transmission when the solar cell is operated either in short-circuit mode (i.e. when it is loaded with an active transimpedance amplifier) or in open circuit mode (i.e. when it is terminated with an high impedance passive load). While the OPV module performance decreases in open-circuit mode as a function of the DC illumination level, we observe an improvement of the cutoff frequency in short circuit mode. This result seems very promising for outdoor LiFi transmissions but also for indoor conditions where natural light can disturb LiFi communications. Theoretical explanations involving physical parameters for energy harvesting (carrier mobility, lumped series resistance) are proposed to justify the observed behaviors. Finally, experimental results of shaded solar cells are provided in the two operating modes (open-circuit and short-circuit). We show that sensibility and bandwidth of OPV modules strongly depend on both the shading configuration and the operating mode

Organic Photovoltaic Modules Installation: Italy and Algeria Case Studies

We here report our latest achievements regarding some installations of ASCA® by ARMOR Organic Photovoltaic Modules realized by roll to roll printing. The performances of ASCA® OPV Modules were measured in two sites, in Italy and in Algeria, and monitored over time. We found that 10-20 kWh/m2 of total irradiation are needed to reach nominal performances due to photo-stabilization behavior. Furthermore, a 1.15 kW OPV power plant was realized, vertically integrated on a building wall, and measurements data were collected for each string. Special attention is paid to compare, in terms of energy yield (kWh/kWp), the OPV Plant with a c-Si PV Plant, already present on the same site: OPV showed a gain of 12% on energy yield during the monitoring period